2 weeks til Fall Break :)

As I sit here typing this, I must confess I have enjoyed a day of doing very little on this very rainy Sunday!!! Marty,Kirk and Kara went to Titans game and Kali had a birthday party this afternoon. Other than cooking breakfast, washing clothes, and taking her to and from party I did nothing except sip on coffee and watch Hallmark channel all day.:) i know i know i feel guilty that i didnt go to church. Hopefully it counts that I did watch it on TV. It was a nice weekend to spend with family. Kirk came home and it has been nice having all my chickadees here. I just wish the weekends didn't go so fast...
Parent teacher conferences went well and it was nice to get to see the parents/guardians again. I am looking forward to the coming month. I love autumn and everything that goes with it-the smells, the decorations, the campfires, the crock pot going with something warm and filling and of course the sweeties dressing up and trick or treating!
Most of all I am looking forward to fall break and enjoying some time with my own family. As much I love teaching, I never feel that I have enough time with my own family. I have to make myself not go to school and work and I usually only do if the kiddos are tied up with other activities.
I won a fall packet from Elizabeth at www.mrshodgesandherkindergartenkids.blogspot.com and also found some other cute fall things on tpt over the weekend! I met Elizabeth at I Teach K! this summer and she is a great teacher with great ideas!!!
Hoping all have a blessed week and hope that you too have a fall break to look forward to!!!

Birthday weekend and Football-Tigers, Mustangs and Titans!!!

Oh my goodness! What a week and weekend!!! Sadly, my week started off on a sad note with the sudden passing of my cousin, Ronnie Espey. He was my daddy's first cousin and a very special man to all his friends and family. At the visitation, I was able to reconnect with many cousins I had not seen in years. It was a blessing to see them all just sad that it takes a death to get us together. In the busyness of our lives it seems families don't get together as often as we did when I was a little girl. We all agreed to try and see each other sooner than later! We are all very thankful for Facebook in that it allows us to at least be in touch via social media. :)
Marty and Kara went to Memphis yesterday to see Kirk and attend a University of Memphis football game. They had a good visit and I think Kirk enjoyed getting taken out to dinner.:) The Memphis Tigers won!
We had Kali's 11th birthday party/slumber party on Friday night. It rained cats and dogs but Kali insisted we set things up in the garage so we did. We had family over and 10 girls counting her. After we ate dinner and cake/ice cream the girls headed down to our camper. Marty ran electricity for them so they could hang out down there. The goal was for them to spend the night in the camper but it was a little too warm so they  crashed about 400 am Sat morning in the den. Whew!!! It was a fun and eventful night and let's just say I am thankful it is OVER!!!
Last night we went to our high school football game since it had been rescheduled due to the massive amount of rain we had on Friday. We took Elijah and Annalesa to the game since their daddy is a coach for the team we played against and their Mommy is the band director for our school. :) it was a lot of fun and our Mustangs won!
This morning Kali and I headed out to Nashville to watch the Tennessee Titans game at Nashville. Our little day trip on her birthday!!! The Titans won and it was a beautiful day!!!
So,last week was another wonderful week in Kindergarten!!! We spent a lot of time with the MAP testing and finishing up my assessments for Parent/Teacher conferences to be held tomorrow and Tuesday after school. Looking forward to seeing my sweeties' families. :)
Hope everyone has a blessed week!!!

First six weeks is history!!!

The first six weeks of the 2013-14 year is history! Whew! Time is already moving fast! We celebrated two of my sweeties birthdays this week, had school pictures made and got to start checking out library books. :) Some of the barriers that the children had are slowly coming down and we are making head way with our letter naming, sounds and blending. Our behavior has really improved and I am very proud of my sweeties-I love them so much!!! I started using Megan Merrell's behavior plan last year and it made a major difference in my students behavior and therefore my classroom management. You can find the plan at www.kindergals.blogspot.com and search behavior plan. It works if you are CONSISTENT with it so don't give up on it after a week or so if you have never used it before.
Kirk came home for the weekend and just left to go back tonight. We enjoyed getting to spend some time with him. There was a home football game Friday night and he got to meet up with some of his high school friends there and then go midnight bowling. He went to church with us this morning and just enjoyed sharing all his stories from college life.
Kara had a busy week at school and had her best time in the 5K this past Tuesday at our schools cross country meet. She started running earlier this year and it has become her favorite sport!
Kali enjoyed another busy week at school and I took her and her BFF Faith to the lake yesterday to spend the day. They enjoyed the fun island with the blow up slides, trampolines, and the launcher where they jumped and launched each other into the water.:) They had a blast and I just enjoyed soaking up some rays! Last night she and Faith went with her mom and sister to see a scary movie. Kali likes that kind of stuff. Not me!!! Anyway she said it wasn't that scary and she didn't have nightmares! Lol
We took Eliajh to the ball game Friday night and stayed through halftime. My cousin, Guian, kept his little sissy Annalesa and then we picked her up after game. We love them so much and we are looking forward to next weekend with them. Our home team plays our neighboring county schools' team (West Carroll)that their Daddy coaches for so we will be running back and forth on both sides of the stadium since their mommy is the band director for Huntingdon. Kali is also having her 11th birthday slumber party that night also! Fun times!!!
 Tomorrow is Staff Development day so no students just teachers. Have a blessed week!!!

Another week down and I'm home alone!

Wow! Why are 4 day work weeks sometimes the longest? Just kidding! It was a great week and I really feel that we are moving right along and making progress in class. My students have been working really hard and we are slowly but surely getting where we need to be behaviorally and academically. I am so proud of their hard work! I am enjoying their sweet smiles, generous hugs, and entertaining personalities for lack of a better word. They really are an amazing bunch of sweeties and I am enjoying watching them interact with each other. Sometimes I just have to laugh at the things they say! This past week I was trying to get out of them the word that means something is no longer around or doesn't exist anymore. I knew for sure one would say "extinct" but before they gave me that word one of my sweeties who is quite intelligent said "dead". For some reason, it struck me as quite funny because he was so matter of fact about it and he had a good point!
Kirk stayed at U of M this weekend to live it up at the first home football game!!! From the pics, I do believe he is embracing all that college has to offer and this makes me so happy for him. There is such a good feeling that comes with knowing your children are growing into young adults. As much as I sometimes would like to rewind back to the younger years, it is also a joyful time to see him succeeding at college and whatever he takes on. Thank you Lord for the blessing he is to us and for his sisters too!
Kara left Thursday for an FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) state officers meeting in Middle Tennessee. Marty left early this morning for his monthly weekend guard drill and then Kali headed over to a friend's house to spend the night. This means I am home alone just me and my doggies! I was hesitant to post that I am home alone but I seriously don't think anybody will be reading my blog that really will take an interest in the fact that I'm home alone.:)
I hope that all you teachers out there feel like you are finally starting to catch your breath after the start of a new school year. Until next time have a blessed week!!!

I love 3 day weekends especially when Kirk is home!!!

After only 20 days of school, it was SO NICE to have a 3 day weekend!!! Kirk finished his first week of classes and came home for the weekend since they didn't have classes today. It was so nice to have us all under the same roof for a few nights.:) He absolutely loves University of Memphis and is already getting very involved with campus activities. I am so happy for him! I was sadder today when he left than I think I was the day we moved him in but I am quick to remind myself that we have so much to be thankful for and I certainly don't need to be sad. A sweet friend lost her oldest child in a motorcycle accident a week ago today, my uncle's cancer has come back and my best friend from high school mom is having a biopsy this week to see if her cancer has returned. Now those are things to be sad about. Please pray for these affected by loss of loved one and pray for healing for the sick.

I am looking forward to another busy and fun week with my sweeties at school! We are steadily making progress and enjoying getting to know each other better! We are still working on rules and procedures as I feel that we need more work on these things in order to have success throughout the year. I am already seeing progress!

I want to wish my sweet Canadian friend, Alessia Albanese, a "Happy First Day Back To School" tomorrow! You can check her out at www.mrsalbanesesclass.blogspot.com if you haven't already. She is a sweetie and has a ton of great user friendly and practical products on Tpt. :)

Wishing all of you another exciting and blessed week!!!

I got my hair polished and left my oldest at college!

Another school week has come and gone and I have to say each day is getting better than the one before. I have asked for prayers this year because I know that prayer changes things. Sometimes it might change a child's behavior or attitude or on the flip side it might change the way I react to those things. Keep the prayers coming that I can meet the needs of my students academically, socially and emotionally.
Kids say the funniest things and I wish I had recorded all the funny things I have heard over the years. Last week I had to wash those grays right out of my hair. The next day at school one of my students from this past school year saw me in the hall and said " I like your hair Miss Leigh Ann. You got it polished." Loved that!!! Elijah, my cousin's little boy who is almost 2 years old and his little baby sissy stayed with us last night. Elijah noticed my tattoo on my ankle. (Yes I have a tattoo-it's the Greek letters from my college sorority Phi Mu.) I was young and adventurous at one time! :) Elijah asked me if my tattoo was a boo boo! Too funny!!!
So we got Kirk moved into University of Memphis on Thursday. I didn't cry. I guess I could have but he has waited for this moment for so long and worked so hard academically for it that I wanted to reassure him that as long as he was happy then I was happy too. It was a different kind of feeling driving back to Huntingdon with Marty and leaving him there but at the same time it was more of just that wondering of where the time went and also excitement for him in this next phase in his life. Classes start for him tomorrow so that should help get him on a schedule. From the pics he has put on Facebook, he seems to be enjoying meeting and making lots of new friends! He will come home this weekend for Labor Day since he won't have classes on Monday. Praying he continues to enjoy college!
Wishing you all a great week!!!

I survived the first 10 days!

10 days down and 170 to go!!! Oh my. I don't recall ever keeping up with the days in and days left in the school year-at least not keeping up with them in my mind. Going from 16 students last year and a student teacher at the start of the school year spoiled me. This year I have 20 students and no student teacher so I am minus an extra set of hands. I know it will get better though and I will lose track of the days in my mind at least I hope!:) A fellow teacher said her mother in law referred to teaching and the school year to childbirth. You forget how exhausting it is at the beginning because the end is so rewarding and you see the result of your hard work and often long hours. I think that is a dog gone good comparison! I have a precious group of sweeties this year and I have already been blessed by each one of them. I just pray that I can break through some of their barriers and be a blessing and make a difference in their lives this year.
We are moving Kirk into University if Memphis this Thursday the 22nd. He is the first of our three K's to leave the nest. I will let you know how the moving day goes. Prayers appreciated!!!
Don't forget to go visit TPT today and tomorrow and take advantage of the sale. Enter BTS13 for the discount.
Have a wonderful week and a quote I saw this week that I would like to share: "Kids spell love T-I-M-E." Be sure to give your sweeties whether at home or school lots of Time!!!